The best season for hiking in the Pyrenees is summer, when most of the snow has melted. Hiking gear has to be flexible enough to handle not only hot weather, but also above-treeline storms, cold and wnd, and even the rare (but possible) summer snowfall.
Food and Lodging for Hiking in the Pyrenees Mountains
Gear needs depend on whether hikers will be camping independently, or will be staying in inns, refuges, or hostels.On much of the GR-10 (Grand Randonnee 10), it is possible to stay and eat in villages or refuges every night. So it is not always necessary to carry a tent and cooking gear. On some sections of the HRP (Pyrenees High Route) and the GR-11 (Grand Randonnee 11), camping gear is necessary in the more remote sections.
- Wild camping, or “camping sauvage” is not permitted everywhere. In the national parks, tent camping is usually limited to campsites around the refuges (refugios in Spanish).
- Gites d’etaps are French hiker hostels (not to be confused with youth hostels). Lodgings in a gite d'etape cost approximately $20 a person a night (depending on the exchange rate), and a four-course dinner can usually be had for less than $30. Gites d'etapes have their own kitchen where hikers can prepare their own meals.
- In the high mountains, lodging and meals are available in refuges. Reservations are recommended, especially in the national parks.
- Small hotels and B and Bs in towns are happy to take in hikers, and if two or three hikers share a room, the rates can be quite reasonable – even comparable to a gite.
- Carry a little extra food: provisioning and resupplying in small towns with one-aisle grocery stores can be a bit of a challenge.
Gear to Take When Hiking in the Pyrenees
- Tents must be able to withstand strong winds and storms, which are not uncommon. A free-standing tent is preferable.
- Clothing: Bring wicking underlayers or T-shirts, a sun hat, and sunglasses. Good rain gear is important in the higher central mountains. The French side of the mountains is the wetter side. The Spanish side enjoys a rain shadow, making it quite a bit drier.
- Stoves and fuel. French hikers use locally made Camping Gaz stoves, which use propane canisters that are widely available. It's also possible to get by with a liquid fuel stove, but it should be a multi-fuel stove that can kerosene as well as gas. Note that multi-fuel stoves can burn petroleum-based dry-cleaning fluid (white spirits), widely available in hardware stores.
- Hiking Sticks are recommended, especially for hikers with bad knees. The ups and downs are steep, particularly on the GR-10.
The three trans-Pyrenees trails offer hikers a variety of options, from inn-to-inn hiking, wild camping, and everything in between. But remember that in between, the mountains are high and wild. Proper gear is essential, and will make the trip safer and more comfortable.
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Karen Berger - Karen Berger is the author of 15 books. Please click on her name to read her full bio.
